Spain elections forecasted to usher in a return of the right

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
28 May 2023 11:11

Regional and local election polls open this morning in Spain.

Supporters of Spain's far-right Vox party Dec. 2, 2018 (AP)

Spaniards across the country began voting for mayors in 8,131 municipalities across the country while also electing leaders and assemblies in 12 of Spain's 17 regions.

35.5 million voters are eligible to cast ballots in the local elections, and 18.3 million are eligible to vote in the regional elections.

Spain, which stands as the eurozone's fourth-largest economy, is expected to shift right, according to surveyed polls.

If the left "exceeds expectations and manages to retain control of most regional governments in play... this would suggest the national elections will be very closely fought, and bode well for the left's chances of staying in power," Eurasia Group analyst Federico Santi said this week.

However, if the survey polls proved correct, then a right-wing victory on the regional level will set the stage for the opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo to become Prime Minister.

The incumbent Spanish PM Sanchez and his leftist coalition find themselves at several disadvantages, most notable among which is the soaring inflation and the subsequent deterioration in purchasing power.

Feijoo has exerted every effort to make this election a national referendum on Sanchez. Feijoo accused him of catering to the separatist parties in Catalonia and the Basque, on which his minority government has relied to gain parliamentary backing for its policies.

On his part, Sanchez has focused his campaign on his government's record in bolstering the economy, fighting a drought, and managing Spain's water resources -- an increasingly important issue as climate change gathers pace.

"Social democratic policies suit Spain a lot better than neoliberal policies because we manage the economy a lot better," he said.